This invention is directed to an apparatus and method for emplacing filled gabion baskets in a revetment mattress. Heretofore emplacement of gabion baskets was accomplished by moving the empty wire-framed gabion basket into its position adjacent other previously emplaced gabion baskets, wiring the basket to the adjacent baskets, filling the basket by placing rocks of various sizes therein and closing the basket so as to form a secure layer of rocks bounded by wire mesh at a location in a stream, canal, or the like where erosion from water flow is anticipated. The transportation of the rocks necessary and the difficulty of getting the rocks from a road bed upon which a vehicle can travel to the gabion baskets in a stream bed made the emplacement of gabion baskets by the prior art method an extremely laborious and time consuming process as well as involving substantial expense for the handwork and labor necessary to place the baskets.
Prior art devices for utility carriage of various objects suffer from the inability to angle the bottom of the device as is necessary to emplace a filled gabion basket in a stream bed or the like or have been found to be unduly complicated in their mechanical structure in requiring a plurality of hydraulic or other operating mechanisms and the like to accomplish the necessary lifting, grasping, and holding of the gabion baskets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,567 shows a utility carriage for mobile loaders having a plurality of hydraulic cylinders as the actuating means for the hold-down fingers shown therein. No provision is made for usage of this device with a single lifting cable such as a crane or a line attached to a backhoe. As a consequence of the hydraulic actuating mechanism, single line operation is not possible. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,971 an adjustable support for a material handling fork is shown in order to balance the fork when handling various loads. Again, control mechanisms and complex equipment is necessary to accomplish the goals of the apparatus set forth therein.